Smoke Clears
by Flying-with-lions
Summary: Plance One-shot inspired by "Smoke Clears" By Andy Grammer.


_The terminal was busy with passengers making their way to the gate. Lance weaved his way through the passengers a duffle strung across his body and his hand stretched behind him._

_"__Lance! Slow down!" Katie called out from behind him. She forced her way through the crowd of people. The couple received a few dirty looks as they accidentally bumped a few strangers going the opposite direction. Katie gave them an apologetic look and turned back to her excited boyfriend. "Babe seriously!" She called out again pulling against his arm._

_He finally stopped and turned back to meet her.__"Sorry," he replied intertwining his fingers with hers. He leaned close his forehead pressed against hers, "I'm just excited," he whispered._

_" I know you are, and I'm so happy for you!" She kissed his lips, a gentle peck and nothing more. She pulled away a smile forming on her lips, "I'm so...so proud of you!" _

_Lance smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Thank you for being there for me,"_

_"You're welcome," she replied her voice climbing no higher than a whisper, "You mean everything to me," she said placing a hand on the back of his neck fingering his brown hair at the nape of his neck._

_"I'm glad."_

_He rested his forehead against her's his eyes smiling. The sight of Lance so happy brought doubts she had tried to bury to mind, causing her smile to falter. Not going unnoticed by Lance he quickly took action._

_"Katie is everything okay?"_

_Not knowing where the tears had come from she nodded her head, "Yeah...just...what if it doesn't work out? What if we don't make it at the Garrison? What if everything doesn't go to plan?" she cried out her voice desperate._

_Not saying a word Lance simply wrapped her in a hug and pulled her close, "you have nothing to worry about-" he whispered, "I'm not going anywhere, I'll always be here," he released her from the hug and raised her head with two fingers under her chin- "it's you and me against the whole world, and from where I'm standing the world doesn't have a chance with the both of us."_

_She laughed, "you're so cheesy," she replied before pecking him on the cheek._

_"I try," he said with a smirk as he continued to pull her to the gate._

_Little did she know that in the future those words would mean so much more..._

* * *

Pidge jerked awake her eyes wide, heart beating fast. It had been so long since she had thought about that day. It had been so long ago and was too painful to bring up, ever since they had left earth. It was especially painful now, even to think about him. Crawling out from underneath the covers she left her room. The hallways were pitch black, but the route was well-traveled by her, no light was needed for such a short trip.

She stopped a few minutes later in front of a door, which opened upon sensing her presence. She walked forward into the room her chest aching. Taking a deep breath she stopped in the middle of the room, reaching into her pocket she pulled out a black cord bracelet her fingers latching onto the worn rope.

"You said you would be here!" she whispered, "In the terminal, you promised me..." tears pricked her eyes and blurred her vision, "So why aren't you here now?" her voice cracked making it even harder to keep herself from breaking down.

Losing the strength to stand she moved to the bed only to stop short. Laying on the bed was the familiar army green jacket with orange stripes that was in more of her memories than she could count. With a shaky breath, she settled onto the bed her hand that was not tightly clamped onto the bracelet, reached out to pull it close. She buried her face in the fabric taking in the familiar smell that she had felt so safe and warm with.

Not caring anymore if she woke anyone she cried out her grief spilling over like a waterfall. She clutched the jacket to her chest her arms taut as she clung to the only thing she had left of the man she loved.

Her sobs were quiet now a hand placed over her mouth to silence them even more. _You promised me that when you placed the bomb that you would come straight back to me...why'd you have to play the damn hero card?_

Not able to think about it anymore she put the jacket on and curled up on Lance's bed closing her eyes immediately. She felt safe with Lance, but now he was gone and this was all she had left, she wasn't ready to move on, she couldn't move on. She had been happy, but then he had to go and play hero, and that's when things had turned for the worst.

* * *

She had just drifted off when the alarm started blaring from the castle alarms. Pidge fell off the bed landing on her side. Groaning she stumbled to her feet and exited the room. Checking a small tablet she had on her it looked like the alarm was coming from the blue lion's chamber, a place she hadn't brought herself to enter since the mission where'd she lost everything. She hesitated for a moment her heart keeping her in place. She couldn't do it, she wasn't ready. Her mind, however, had other plans, she was still a paladin after all.

It wasn't long before she came up to the door that led to the blue lion's chamber. After the mission, she and the other paladins brought the blue lion back with no pilot, and ever since that day she had only been able to get as close as ten feet to the door before she would break down. She had lost count of how many times one of the other paladins had found her not able to move. They had simply led her away to her room telling her that she would be ready when she was ready and that it would take time for her to feel that way.

Now she had no other choice, an intruder could be on the other side of that door and none of the other paladins had arrived yet. Taking a deep breath she walked through the door her mind prepared to meet an intruder that she could easily dispose of. What she was not prepared to see when the door open, was Lance standing on the other side.

She stood just inside the door not being able to comprehend what she was seeing. She shook her head her eyes closed, when she opened them again he was still standing there a soft smile on his lips.

"Hi, Katie,"

He spoke and it was like a veil of smoke had cleared, her sad feelings replaced with this inconceivable shock. All the confusion and dispair lifted as if it had never been, With a hand clasped over her mouth, she dropped the bracelet her hand coming to over her heart. Lance walked closer to her, his arms open.

At that moment she broke into a run, tackling him to the ground. He wrapped an arm around her as if he was never going to let go again, his other kept him from falling onto his back. Tears streaked her face as she showered him with kisses, before passionately kissing his lips, her hands in his hair. He returned the kiss his arm still wrapped tightly around her. When they pulled away from each other she cupped his face with her hands.

"I can't believe you're alive!" she cried out a smile forming on her lips, fresh tears spilled down her face, "I-I can't..." she couldn't find the words to express her shock and happiness at the fact that he was alive and she was back in his arms, however, he found the words.

His eyes glistened with bright tears as he whispered to her their faces nearly touching, "I told you, I'm not going anywhere-" he grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers like he had done so many years ago in that airport terminal- "It's you and me against the world," and with those few words he kissed her.

* * *

_**AN: Ok so I nearly cried while writing this...**_

_**Also update: I'm working on the nest chapters of Don't you trust me? and She Chose you. and will hopefully have them out soon! I wrote this one-shot just to help get my writing flow back because the last few days have been hectic. I promise I haven't forgotten and will have them out SOON!**_


End file.
